According to https://unocasa.com, “The origin of tacos begins with corn. Sometime around 3,000 BC, Mexicans excavated the ‘Valle de Tehuac’ and hybridized grasses to create the corn plant. Indigenous cultures viewed corn as the foundation of humanity or the seed of life.”  The site goes on to say that, “Historians date the first traces of nixtamalized corn back to the Olmec culture in 1,500 BC, meaning they likely included a basic corn flatbread in their diets.” 

One might incorrectly deduce that tacos have been around forever, yet, mainstream tacos in the US are most certainly not very old. In fact, the origins of the word itself are said to have come from the Nahuatl’s “tlahco,” translating to “half, or in the middle” and was used to refer to the cigar shaped explosive that workers would use to insert into rocks to mine ore. Tacos were not food at all. It is largely believed that because the miners used corn tortillas as an eating utensil while on job sites, that the word shifted to the food. 

If there was a taco of origin, it is likely to have been filled with offal meat or seafood, however as Mexicans migrated to the southern states to work on railways, food carts selling the handheld pockets came into fashion and the infamous “Chili Queens of Los Angeles” came to be known.  Because food is ever changing based on ingredient availability and personal preference, Glen Bell, founder of Taco Bell, sought to Americanize tacos with hamburger, iceberg lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream and launched a new wave of tacos marketed to Anglo Americans in the 60’s.  

Fast forward to today and chefs across the globe are presenting new and interesting cuisines in taco form while others are trying to ground the simple street food by presenting it in a more authentic way. Clearly tacos themselves hold quite a story, and to honor National Taco Day on Oct. 4 here in the US, we were happy to enjoy two great examples of modern-day tacos presented by student chefs, Cymone Murray and Kaitlin Kessinger during Bistro To Go’s last week of service on Oct. 4, 5 and 6 on the Lincoln Land Community College campus. (Bistro Verde, student-led café, reopens on Oct. 25 with sit-down service: www.llcc.edu/bistro-verde).

If you missed enjoying the student chef specials, check out Chef Kaitlin and Chef Cymone’s recipes below and enjoy these modern tacos.    

Shrimp tacos with mango salsa  

Total Servings: 8  

Shrimp

• 1 ½ lb shrimp, large, peeled   
• 4 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin, ground  
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper, restaurant grind
• Cayenne pepper as desired for spice.
• 1 pkg flour tortillas

Marinate shrimp ahead

Make sure shrimp are thawed and pat dry if necessary. Toss the shrimp with olive oil, all of the spices, and the salt and pepper. Stir well to coat. Set aside until ready to cook. You can marinate for several minutes or up to one day. When ready to cook, preheat a skillet on medium high heat and quickly sauté your shrimp for about a minute on each side.

Cilantro crema

• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 bunch cilantro
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3 tsp honey
• ½ cup prepared green salsa
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Mango salsa

• 3 ripe mangos, small diced
• 1 red onion, small diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced (seeds & ribs removed)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Tacos

When ready to serve, warm either corn or flour tortillas, and layer sauteed shrimp with mango salsa and top with cilantro crema.

Birria tacos

Yield: 8 tacos

• 2 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 3-in pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into fourths
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ginger
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 large Ancho Chile, dried
• 1 large Guajillo Chile, dried
• 2 Chiles de Arbol, dried
• ¾ tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black ground pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1, 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups beef stock
• 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
• 8, 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese

Pre-work

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

Cut open the chiles and discard all seeds. Toast the chiles in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant and slightly browned. Lower heat and add enough water to cover the chiles. When the water begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat and allow chilis to reconstitute for approximately10 minutes.

Roast

Dry off the chuck roast with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven with oil. Sear the beef pieces until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate. Using the same pot, add more oil if needed and cook the onions until browned. Add the garlic stirring for about a minute; then add the spices. When the spices are fragrant, add the beef stock and vinegar, scraping up all the bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Remove pan from heat. In a blender or food processor add the onion mixture, the can of tomatoes and the chiles. Blend until a smooth, sauce-like consistency, adjusting seasoning if needed. Place the beef in a large baking pan or to Dutch oven and cover with the sauce. Cover the pan and cook about one hour until beef can be removed and easily shredded. Reserve pan sauce.

Tacos

To assemble the tacos, heat a large skillet with a little cooking oil. Dip each tortilla in the pan sauce that the beef cooked in covering both sides. Cook the tortillas adding ¼ cup of the beef and 3 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Cook until both sides are crispy, and the cheese is melted. Serve with more pan sauce to dip.

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.